AucustT 3, 1899] 
NATURE 335 
are again collected in the salivary glands. ,I should have liked 
to extend the series, but the continued cold weather renders it 
improbable that I shall be able to do so before I leave. 
With your permission I should like to publish an abstract 
of this, confirming Ross’s work; and to this Major Ross 
consents. 
In case you should consider this advisable, I am, to avoid 
delay, forwarding an abstract to Dr. Manson, with a request to 
him to forward it to the Lrztésh Medical Journal, if your 
consent is granted. 
The infection of birds free from proteosoma by the bites of 
mosquitoes. 
On December 20, the day before my arrival, twenty-two birds 
were examined and found free from proteosoma. On that night 
some of these were used for feeding the mosquitoes which 
had been infected on November 30 and on the 24th and sub- 
sequent days; the remainder of the birds were used for feeding 
the mosquitoes first infected on November 30 and December 10, 
12and 15. In other mosquitoes of this series germinal threads 
were found in the salivary glands ; and the ones which fed, 
when examined later, gave the results indicated in paragraph 9. 
On December 30 Dr. Rivenberg and myself examined these 
birds ; three of them had proteosoma, two in large numbers. 
On January 4 I examined them all except one, which died on 
January 2 ; in that the heart’s blood contained no proteosoma, 
and the organs were free from pigment. 
Five more of these had now proteosoma, all very numerous. 
On January 6 and 7 I again examined them; three more had 
proteosoma, all very numerous. 
On January 9 no more cases had developed; but on 
January 18 one of them had numerous proteosoma, whilst many 
of the ones which had been infected had recovered, and the 
others now showed few proteosoma. 
Thus twelve out of twenty-two birds became infected, or 
54 per cent. This compares unfavourably with Ross’s earlier 
results, as in his published series twenty-two out of twenty- 
eight were infected, or 79 per cent. But it is to be remembered 
that at the time he was working the germinal threads were found 
in a week; whilst in December the development was much 
slower, and now takes at least twice the time. It is much easier 
to keep the mosquitoes alive for one week than longer, while in 
the hot weather mosquitoes bite more readily. 
These results are less unfavourable if compared with the 
normal proportion of birds infected with proteosoma at this 
season. Thus Ross out of 111 wild birds found proteosoma in 
15, or 13°5 per cent. ; whilst I find at this season only one with 
proteosoma out of 30, or 3°3 per cent. 
It is possible that in the cold season the birds have a greater 
power of resistance ; and this is rendered more probable by the 
short duration of the proteosomal attack in my infected birds. 
Of these twelve, five died within the first week. In three, in 
which also the proteosoma had been very numerous, none could 
be found ten days after the invasion ; in one, in which they were 
never numerous, none could be found on the fifth day. 
In the other three, very few are now found,{though at first 
they were numerous, 
The recovery of these birds and the death of the mosquitoes 
fed on them diminishes the chances of much future work on 
this line in the time remaining to me here. 
Mention has been made of the differentiation of the con- 
tents of the coccidia previous to the formation of the germinal 
threads into clear and granular; the second of these can be 
traced day by day into those forming the germinal threads, 
This differentiation was clearly visible in my series. Instead of 
germinal threads in a minority of the coccidia, in most mos- 
quitoes, when the germinal threads are mature, black tubular 
bodies are found in cysts with otherwise clear contents. 
These were met with frequently in the series of mosquitoes 
infected in November and December. Most of these contained 
some coccidia with black spores; though in few all the cysts 
contained germinal threads. In some cysts these black spores 
are numerous and occupy the entire cyst; in other cysts there 
are only a few. In most cases germinal threads are not found 
in the same cyst ; but there have been a few cysts in which it 
has been doubtful whether there are germinal threads also in 
the cyst, or whether there are overlying escaped threads from a 
neighbouring capsule. 
These black spores are very resistent ; I have seen some kept 
in water for months by Ross with no visible change, and they 
will withstand irrigation with liquor potassze, 
NO. 1553, VOL 60] 
When the cysts are ruptured the spores are found all over the 
body, but not in cells; nor do they seen to accumulate in any 
one part of the body. 
The most plausible view of the nature of these black spores 
seems to be that held by Major Ross, viz. that they are 
“*resting spores,” and that through them by another cyst the 
proteosoma can be propagated in conditions unfavourable for 
direct propagation by injection into a warm-blooded animal. 
In that case three courses suggest themselves : 
a. From them arise bodies capable of non-parasitic life and 
possibly of reproduction, but capable at certain stages of their 
existence of introduction into a warm-blooded host by inhal- 
ation through drinking water, or even by injection by a 
mosquito or other blood-sucker transferring them from the 
medium in which they live directly. 
6. That they may be ingested by mosquito larvae, and in them 
undergo such development as will result in the formation of 
germinal threads in the adult, which in turn might be injected 
into the bird. 
c. That they may, when swallowed or inhaled by a warm- 
blooded host, so develop as to reach the circulation and pass 
into the sporulating phase. 
Such experiments as have been made are inconclusive ; and it 
is obvious that till the nature of these ‘‘ black spores” is deter- 
mined we cannot exclude, even for the proteosoma of sparrows, 
the possibility of some one of the many alternative possible 
channels of infection, some of which would only require the 
occasional intervention of an intermediate host. 
Still less are we justified in concluding that malaria in man 
can only be acquired from the mosquito, or devoting our 
exclusive attention to that channel. 
UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 
INTELLIGENCE. 
Dr. E. H. STaruinc, F.R.S., has been elected to the 
Jodrell professorship of physiology in University College, 
London, in succession to Prof. E. A. Schafer. 
Dr. SUTHERLAND, assistant professor of pathology, Glas- 
gow, has been appointed professor of pathology in St. Andrews 
University, in: succession to Prof. Muir, recently appointed to 
Glasgow. 
For some time past the School Management Committee of 
the London School Board have been considering communications 
sent to them with reference to the metric system. It has now 
been resolved to send a memorandum to the Education Depart- 
ment containing proposals for amplifying the teaching of the 
system by a definite curriculum for each standard. 
THE Board of Education Bill was read a third time in the 
House of Commons on Tuesday. An animated discussion took 
place upon the various clauses of the Bill, and several amend- 
ments were proposed, but no changes of any importance were 
made. One of the amendments moved had for its object the 
omission of the words which empower the Board of Education 
to employ for the purpose of school inspection ‘‘ other organ- 
isations”” besides the Universities. These words were struck 
out in the House of Lords, and re-inserted in Grand Committee 
in the Commons. The proposal to again delete the ‘* other 
organisations’ was negatived., 
AT a meeting of the council of the City and Guilds of London 
Institute held on Monday it was resolved to confer the Fellow- 
ship of the Institute upon Mr. William J. Pope for the valuable 
and original chemical research work which he has done since he 
gained his diploma of associate of the institute in 1890; and upon 
Mr. Arthur E. Childs}for the services he has rendered in develop- 
ing several new branches of engineering industry since he gained 
his diploma in 1891. The Fellowship is conferred by the council 
upon rthose who, having obtained the associateship of the in- 
stitute and spent at least five years in actual practice, produce 
evidence of having done some original and valuable research 
work, or of having otherwise contributed to the advancement 
of the industry in which they are engaged. 
THE Agricultural and Technical Education (Ireland) Bill was 
read a second time in the House of Lords on Monday. Lord 
Ashbourne, in moving the second reading of the Bill, said its 
object is to promote and foster agriculture and all the kindred 
interests, and also to promote technical education. The Bill in 
its mechanical part proposes the creation of a department com- 
